Tent



l 1,501,365- H. E.` L. OWEN ET A@ `.July i5, 1924.

- TENT Filed May 5, 1922 2 Sheets-She-tI 4l /WfA/rams MFN/fx ffm/far [Lexa WEM July 15 ,Y 1924. A l 1,501,365

H. E. L. OWEN ET AL i 4 TENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 5, 1922 Patented July 15, 1924.

stares MTENT oFFics.

HENRY ERNEST LLOYD OWEN AND KENNETH HALLIDAY MACARTNEY, OF PORT ARTHUR, ONTARIO, CANADA.

TENT.

Application led 'May 5, 1922. Serial No. 558,795.

CARTNEY, both subjects of the King of Grrea-tY Britain, and residents of the city of Port Arthur, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tents, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact description.

This invention relates to improvements in tents and more particularly to small tents adapted for tourist and campers use, and the object of the invention is to provide a tent which may be se't up with great ease and rapidity.

A further object is to provide a tent of small size whichwill have large capacity and in which substantially all the floor space will be available. y

A still further object is to providea tent including a ground sheet, thereby obviating the necessity of specially selected sites or trenching.

Another object is to provide a tent of the wall type having a single pole.

Still another object is to provide a tent of small size having full head room at they entrance.

Yet another object is to provide a `tent of small size having adequate Ventilating facilities. y

One more object is :to provide a tent so constructed that'- the entrance of draghts at the bottom will be prevented.

At the present time small tents are of two classes, namely bell tents or conical tents and wall tents. The former are supported by a single Vpole and the roof comes down to and meets the ground at an acute angle, so that considerable space is lost around the edges of the tent and only the central part affords standing room. The wall type of-tents are of a form similar to a house with double pitched roof and, while they afford standing room from `end to end and render a large amount of the space adjacent the'side walls available, they have the disadvantage of requiring two poles. Both forms of tents yrequire elaborate peggingV and guying and further are always draughty, by reason of air entering between `the bottom of the side and end walls and the ground. Furthermore, these tents require to be pitched in a carefully selected` site or to be externally trenched in order to ensure a dry floor. The time required to pitch either form of tent is considerable and is a very awkward undertaking forfone person. Various special types of tents have been proposed from time to time for the purpose of eliminating poles, but these require to be pitched between natural supports such as trees. i

According to the present invention, the

tent provided is so constructed that it may be very easily pitched by one person without the necessity of carefully selecting a site or trenching around the tent to secure a dry Hoor. The tent when erected presents the advantages of both the bell and wall tents and has the additional advantages of a dry clean floor, freedom from draughts and adequate ventilation.

The tent comprises a floor member of suitable waterproof material having at one edge an upturned flange portion to exclude water at the front of the tent and connected at its remaining edges tothe back and side walls which'in turn are connected to one another. The corners and edges of the floor member are provided with loops for pegging down and the other parts withl guy ropes ready attached. AllV or certain of the walls are of hip construction to provide vertical side j walls and at the front of the tent a short ridge is provided extending from the central pole to a point substantially over the front edge of the floor, so as to give a vertical front wall. This ridge, which is comparatively short, is supported from the central pole by means of a gaff, thus eliminating the use of a second pole.

In the drawings which illustrate the invention:- Y t Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the tent set up.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation the iiaps closed.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation. Fig. 4 isa plan view. y Fig. 5 is a development of the tent showkof same with ing the shape and assemblage of the various parts.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates a floor member of any suitable form, preferably rectangular and composed of suitable material, such as waterproofed canvas. One of the edges of the floor, which is to serve as the front, is providedy with a narrow flap 12 which in the linishedform is turned vertically andk forms a sill piece t0 exclude water at the front of the tent. The sides 13 are attached at their lower edges to opposite edges of the fioor 11 and taper slightly away from the floor. In forming the sides, a large notch is cut in each sideand the edges 14: of lthe notch secured together, so that the sides each have a hip construction, clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2, and each present a lower vertical portion 15 and a pair of triangular sloping portions 16 'connectingat the ridge formed by the meeting edges 14. The folds or seams 17V` between. the parts 15 and 16 of each side also form ridges yin the set-up form of the tent, as will be clearly seen in Figure 1. The back 0f the tent may be a simpletriangular piece 18, as shown in Figure 5,-connected at its base to the back edges of the floor and at its sides 19 to the rear side edges 2O of the tent sides, the meeting of the edges 19 and 2O forming ridges 21 in the set-up tent. It will be understood that. the back wallmay, if desired, be formed similarly to the side walls.

' I to the front edge of a side wall portion 16 and connected together at their bases 23, as clearly shown in Figures 1 andl 3.V The connected edges 23 form a ridge projecting forwardly of theV apex of 'the tent in the set up` form, while the line of connection of the side wall parts 16 and the front parts 22 constitutes a Valley 21.4 These front portions 22l dene a triangularopening extendingv from the sides ofy the Hoor member ,to the forward end ofv the ridge 22, which opening is the doorway of the tent. To close this opening andcompletethe front of the" tent, triangular flaps 25 are provided, each secured at one side to the forward side of the front portions 22. These flaps are each at its base 26 more thanhalf the width ofthe doorway, so that when drawn across the opening they. will overlap considerably and form a substantial closure. Theflaps are,

as is customary, each free at its lower andv outer side! edges. In order to ensure ventilation and also to provide a rain-shed at the point where the flaps meet the ridge 23, a small triangular hood 27 is provided connected at its apex at the meeting of the front flaps and ridge 23 and at its side edges t0 the flaps adjacent theiry line of ljunction The front ofthe tent is composed of live pieces, two of with the front portions 22. This ventilating flap 27 may be straight or curved on its lower edge and is of such width that it will not interfere with the opening of the flaps. The meeting point of the sides and back is the apeX of the tent and is provided with the usual reinforcement 28 having therein a small aperture 29 for the pole spike 30. The same construction may, if desired, be applied Vat the junction of the parts 22, 25 and 27 but this is not essential.

The four corners of the floor member are providedk with strong loops 31 by which they may be pegged down to the ground, and, if desired, the edges of the floor may be provided with additional loops 32 for pegging down.. Each junction point of the ridges 141 and 17 is provided with a guy rope 33 and the forward end of the ridge 23 may be provided with a guy rope 34. Additionally, the free corners of the flaps may beprovided with loops 35 for pegging. The pole, designated 37, is preferably formed of a number of separable sections, in order to facilitate transportation of the tent in a small space. In addition to the pole, there is provided. a gal-f 38 adapted to engage at one end in the common meeting point ofthe parts 22 andy 25, that is to say, at the forward end of the ridge 23'. The opposite end of the gaff is adapted to be supported on the pole by a runner 39 mounted on the pole. This runner is of a form well known to sailors and is a double eye or iigure 8 construction, preferably of rope. One eye is of a size to slide freely on the pole when the device is normal thereto.

lfilhen, however, the runner is inclined to they pole the eye binds very tightly thereon and prevents the runner sliding. The secondl eye forms a loop, in which the end of the vgaff is received.

The operation of the device is as follows :-n

rIhe tent is arranged on theV ground so that the floor lies lowermost and also flat on the ground. with the doorway facing in the desired direction. The operator then pegs down the corners in succession, talring care to stretch the floor tightly. The operator then puts the top end of the pole through the doorway and into the opening 29 and then raises the pole to vertical po-y sition, moving through the doorway as the tentl rises. position, the back and side walls of the tent will be tightly stretched between the floor and apex and the downward pressurefwillv hold the pole Securely. The operator then places the tip of the gaff` in the pocket formed by the junction ofk thel parts 22- andg25 and slips the butt end through the empty eye of' the pole runner. The runner. is then slid upwardly on the pole until the gafftensions the ridge 23 between its When the. pole is in verticalv llO outer end and the top of the pole, the butts of the galf, of course, resting against the pole and being held by the runner which also holds it from sliding down. lVhile the erection of the tent as thus far effected is not complete, it nevertheless presents a very stable structure, which will give shelter and will resist a very considerable amount of wind pressure. To complete the erection, the guy ropes 33 and 34- are stretched out and pegged to the ground at suitable distances from the tent or tied to trees. If the front guy rope is stretched at a suitable angle and the apex of the tent supported by rearwardly extending guy (not shown), to balance the tension of the guy 34, the gaff may be omitted but this omission is not important in any except the smallest tents as the gaif v is suiiiciently high up to give head room therein. If desired, the edges of the tent may be pegged down between the corners by means of the loops 32. Vhen the tent is to be closed the flaps 25 are drawn across the front and fastened in any suitable way but, when a complete closure is not desired,

either or both of the flaps may be pegged vout by its free corner at any desired angle,

so as to form a rain or wind shelter at the doorway of the tent. l/Vhen not in use, the flaps may be reefed up in the well known manner to the forward edges of the parts 22. The yhood member 27 serves to keep water running down the ridge 23 or driven by the wind from entering between the {iaps 25 at the top, where there is no overlapping. In the same way this hood which hangs loosely in folds when the flaps are closed serves to permit egress of warm air at the top of the tent without admitting cold air,.rain or snow.

The advantages of the device will be apparent to those skilled in the use of tents. The whole tent may be folded within the waterproof bottom of ioor so that no part of the interior need become wet. For this reason, bedding, spare clothing, etc., may be packed in the tent and will be kept dry by the licor thereof. The tent may be very easily and quickly set up by one person on practically any ground that presents itself, thus avoiding the necessity of selecting special ground or suitably spaced trees. The waterproof floor avoids the necessity of selecting ground with a view to proper drainage and also ensures a dry tent floor if the tent must be pitched on wet ground. If the tent is set up for only a short time, such as for one night, guying by means of ropes may be omitted, thus materiallyreducing the work of setting up and taking down the tent. The absence of numerous guy ropes and tent pegs a short distance away from the tent avoids constant tripping over tent pegs and guy ropes in the darkness, with which unpleasant experiences most campers are familiar. lVhere the tents are to be pitched close together, as in a summer colony or military encampk ment, guy ropes reaching to the ground may be entirely eliminated by connecting the guy ropes 33 of adjacent tentstogether Yor to poles set in the ground intermediate the tents. In the same way, the guy ropes 3l and any corresponding back guys may be stretched between tents and poles, so as to give head room all around each tent. The hip formation of the sides gives a wall effect in what is otherwise a bell tent, thus materially increasing the available ioor space in the tent and enabling cots to be placed closer to the walls than is possible in a bell or wedge tent. The union of sides, back and floor overcomes the draughting characteristic of tents which many people find objectionable, excludes rain, snow or dust which the wind drives under the walls of ordinary tents, and also efi'ectually excludes insects, reptiles` and animals. The formation of a vertical front by means of the ridge 23 eliminates the leakage at the doorway, which is a common defect of bell tents, and gives the advantages of a wedge tent in the mattei' of head room. Obviously, if desired` the back instead of being formed as shown or in accordance with the sides may be formed in the same manner as the front, that is, with a nearly horizontal ridge in place of a noticeably inclined ridge. It will be observed, however, that in any case the difference between the side and front formations illustrated is largely a matter of degree as the hip of the sides might be supported equally well by gaffs, although, to do so would sacrifice freedom of movement within the tent, unless the sides were formed and the gaifs placed as illustrated for the front. In comparison with the weight or area of canvas and the space occupied by the tent when set up, it is extremely roomy.

'I-Iaving thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. In a tent, a wall comprising a substantially vertical lower portion and a pair of sloping upper portions, meeting the lower portion and one another at three ridge lines converging to a common point within the periphery of the wall. K 2. In a tent, a wall comprising three substantially triangular portions forming a pyramidal structure disposed with one of its side surfaces substantially vertical.

3. A tent comprising a substantially pyramidal structure in which a side of the structure is in itself a substantially pyramidal structure disposed with one of its sides substantially vertical.

4. A tent comprising Va substantially pyramidal structure in which one of the y n n K 1,501,365

sides is in itself a `suhstzin'ziavli'y'pyremi'dzil toward Jche hase, and covering adjacent structure disposed with one of its sides subedges of said flaps. y stantially vertical, means to hold said In Witness whereof, We have hereunto Setf 10 pyramidal side structure in pyiamidal form, our hands.

flaps forming the vertical side of said pyTanoidalv side and a hood extending from l HENRY ERNEST LLOYD OWEN substantially the apex of the pyramidall side f KENNETH HALLIDAY MACARTNEY- 

